Although 2016 has been full of ups and downs on a global scale, I have had quite an amazing year – undoubtedly the best year of my life. I am sure some of you are feeling exactly the same way, whether that be because you started a new job, set a new milestone in your life or just have some amazing memories to look back on. Last year I set a New Years resolution to write 52 post for my blog (roughly 1 a week) – I just about managed it and unexpectedly my blog took off. I also wanted to spend more time reflecting….and I managed this too.

Here are a few goals I’ve set for 2017:

Set Aside Time to Relax

I am quite well known for spending far too little time relaxing. I hate sitting still and would rather be baking, walking around shops buying unnecessary gym kit or pieces of ‘photographable’ crockery, or taking endless photos in a new bright spot I’ve discovered in some obscure corner of the house (it is quite a normal sight to find me standing on a chair in my PJs trying to get the right lighting!). At various points this year this has backfired and I’ve suddenly got quite ill and therefore I feel it’s important that I sit back and relax a little more!

Travel

My dream is to travel the world, ultimately NZ, South America and Tanzania. I’ve already started planning my 2017 adventures and I cannot put into words how excited I am….keep your eyes peeled! If you have any recommendations on destinations please let me know!!

Spend less time on social media

I am not ashamed to say that I spend far too much of my day on my phone scrolling through Instagram, Facebook or editing photos. Although social media plays a big role in my job, it means I spend less time interacting with the people around me. On one of the last days of term the Wifi cut out early one evening and we had one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year – we spent hours chatting about things which clearly wouldn’t have happened if there had been internet (let’s forget the fact that this also meant we couldn’t do our work!).

As 2016 comes to a close naturally we have all started to reflect on the amazing things we have been up to this year. There have been a mixture of experiences that we’d love to repeat and repeat day-in-day-out, but there have also been a few events that have once again highlighted to us just how precious life is.

I have started to set long and short term goals for the year, plan adventures to take place throughout 2017 and also think about what I’ll do differently this year.

PC: Eliot Finch Photography / Wearing: Karrimor Lite Run Jacket

I have decided to round up my favourite products from this last month to give you my ‘New Year Fit Gift Guide’. Whether you’re a gym goer or runner, foodie or fashionista, male or female; there’s something for you. Give your 2017 a kick start with some of these!

Nutri Ninja

The Nutri Ninja blenders are the next biggest gadget that you need in your kitchen. As well as being uber powerful, they’re reliable and easy to wash up! They will mix anything from nuts to make nut butter, frozen bananas to make nice cream, or egg whites for meringue nets!

These blenders are made in a range of sizes/powers, so dependent on your budget and ideal use there will be one for you! I’ve used the AutoIQ and the Duo and I will never look back! Click here to have a look at their website.

Pip and Nut Almond Butter (Holland and Barrett)

If you have been a follower of mine for some time, you’ll know my relationship with nut butters has gone beyond safe. The discovery of a new nut butter is dangerous, especially for my bank balance. Although Pip & Nut haven’t been around that long, they have now got their products into Holland and Barrett. As soon as I heard 1kg tubs were on the way it’s safe to say I was more than excited…!! Their peanut/almond/cashew butter is the creamiest smooth nut butter you will EVER find. It’s perfect for drizzling and baking, eating from the spoon or for dipping apple chunks in. They even produce sachets which are super convenient for when you’re out! Check them out at H&B here.

Enertor Insoles

ENERTOR™ insoles are made using D3O® Technology and are endorsed by Usain Bolt. They are designed to enhance performance and provide superb cushioning to reduce injury risk and increase the comfort of the shoes.

ActivBod Towel (with zip pocket)

I absolutely LOVE my ActivBod towel. Not only does it have a zip pocket to store keys/gym cards and snack bars, but it also has an elastic tag that makes it easy to hang from things. I’ve been using mine for about a year now and have found it so much more absorbent than any other towel that I have taken to the gym – it is also bright green so you’re far less likely to pick up someone else’s in a hurry! Click here to go to the ActivBod Website.

Bean Body Coffee Scrub

I get through endless amounts of shower gel and body scrub which means I tend to end up buying them when they’re on special offer. However, this is one of the only occasions I have given in and paid that little bit extra. Having tried a sample amount of this coffee scrub and finding it SO effective I found it on BOGOF and couldn’t resist getting more. Although it is very fragrant (I’m not overly keen on coffee), it leaves you with smooth skin like no other scrub. If you’ve got some Christmas money to spend I’d highly recommend giving this a go!!! Find it in Holland and Barrett here.

Nike Epic Lux Shorts (with zip pocket)

These Nike shorts are currently my favourite. I have a fair few pairs of athletic shorts, but unlike most, these come down low enough to look ‘decent’ in public, have a VERY useful zip pocket at the back and have a high waistband to keep them up! The shorts are also made to prevent chaffering which makes them super comfy for everyone. Click here.

Myprotein Whey Crispies

Myprotein recently released a new range of snacks, these whey protein crispies were included. They come in a 500g or 1.5kg bag and contain roughly 50% protein (with the added bonus that they are also gluten free). Whether you’re making chocolate crispy cakes, topping your smoothie bowl or just fancy a snack, you need to try these! They’re also unflavoured which makes them perfect for using alongside any other flavour! Check them out here. (BETHH10 will get you 10% off).

The Organic Protein Company Whey

When it comes to protein, I am quite particular. I don’t just eat every type of protein powder I’m given. As well as being gluten free, I try and make sure I only use protein powders that have been made using the purest ingredients that come from a trustworthy source. This particular protein has 1 ingredient; organic whey protein. It mixes like no other and is totally unflavoured which makes it more versatile. To order some, click here. (BETHRUN5 gets you a discount).

Up until a few years ago I wouldn’t have classed myself a ‘watch’ kind of person, by which I mean I wasn’t overly fussed by expensive ones. Having said that, I never leave the house without a watch purely to a) make sure I‘m not late, and b) so I can keep track whilst running – I’d feel naked without one.

JORD watches are a Swiss American company that make custom-sized wooden watches. Prior to these, I’d never seen wooden watches – you’ll normally find me scrolling through Garmin’s watch specifications working out which watch to recommend to an athletic friend in need of advice. The JORD wooden watches are hand made specifically to fit your wrist.

JORD contacted me last month and asked how I’d feel about reviewing one of their speciality watches, and as you can expect, naturally this got me incredibly – and probably a little too – excited! Browsing through their website it became apparent to me that these watches really are one-of-a-kind. The unique choice of wood, watch face and style made it incredibly difficult to choose a favourite.

This colour of this watch is BEAUTIFUL and the watch face itself watch is so quirky – I’ve never worn anything like it. The colour goes just perfectly with a pair of black jeans, baggy jumper and a pair of Timberlands.

Especially at this time of year, with the crisp golden leaves on the ground and beautiful parks, it just fits perfectly. If I’m ever seen not wearing running kit (which isn’t often if I’m honest – it’s just too comfy) then I’m bound to be wearing this. One thing that stood out to me was the weight of the watch – it is so light. Considering it is made of wood I had expected something a lot heavier, but the fact it is so light makes it a lot nicer to wear.

The watch fits to the wrist by a sturdy metal clasp which is really easy to do up one-handed, especially in a hurry!

With Christmas just around the corner it makes such a lovely gift idea, these watches come in a range of styles (check out their website here) so that you can find one to match your individual character.

JORD have kindly set me up a giveaway for all my readers – click on the link here and enter your email address to get $25 off one of these watches! What makes it even better is that everyone’s a winner – which doesn’t happen very often! Treat a loved one, or yourself if you’re that obsessed(!), to a watch – they really do make the perfect gift.

After which felt like last minute plans, I set off with my family to Mallorca in late July from Gatwick at some unearthly hour of the morning. Unfortunately I was rather ill the night before which meant my packing was somewhat minimal, though somehow it was still the heaviest of the 5 suitcases…oops! We flew into Palma and hired a car which we drove to Alcudia where our Villa was within walking distance of the beach.

Alcudia
Alcudia is located on the north-east coast of Mallorca (around 1h drive from Palma) and in the centre has an old town built by the romans. Our villa was located half way between the Port D’Alcudia and the Alcudia Marina which meant we had a lot of choice when it came to where to head to the beach. With no time to loose we ventured out in the dark on the first night to locate the nearest beach, which, when we arrived, provided us with a beautiful calm sunset.

The Old Town was very picturesque, narrow cobbled streets filled with quaint shops and restaurants. During the day it was full of tourists pottering in and out of the shops, whilst at night the smell would win over even those with anosmia as the dress code reversed from casual to smart with people eating in the amazing array of local restaurants. While we were there the temperature was between 30-39oC which personally I found a little toooo hot – I managed 3 morning runs, but by midday we were all very much in the shade or in an air conditioned room!

​The sea on the beautiful beaches of Alcudia was so clear – not a piece of seaweed in sight. The majority of rocks were volcanic rock which made walking on them a challenge to say the least, but none-the-less no one cut their feet. With a beach less than 1km from the Villa we made a visit at least once a day, even picnicking on it one evening.

Old Town Alcudia

Food
Although we prepared breakfasts and lunches at the Villa ourselves, we decided to give the local cuisine a go for dinner on multiple occasions. The first meal I had was Paella, the typical Spanish dish. I chose it with seafood and it was iiiiiincredible, so much so that I finished of the 2 other Paellas that had been ordered for my parents (I promise I wasn’t stealing their food, they had eaten all they could so the permission to dig in had been granted!). For starters we were usually served olives (I have developed a like for these now….be aware!!) and gluten free baguettes!! Another meal that was particularly impressive was the final night in the Old Town – for starters it was the usual but the main was freshly grilled cod with potatoes. Now I must sound terrible for doing this but I also ate most of my brothers prawn spaghetti (which he disliked) as well as my sister’s duck and figs (which she also disliked)! They were all quite rich, presented well but so tasty!

The range of gluten free food available was really good – most restaurants had gluten free pasta and could serve any grills, salads, paellas or tapas gluten free. Some even did gluten free pizza (we just had to try one of these didn’t we!). Two of the three provided gluten free baguettes or bread as a starter too which I was fairly surprised by.

Another thing that the Spanish got right was Gelato. From smurf to pina colada to duche de leche – they had every flavour under the sun. They weren’t cheap, but were much needed in the sweltering 38oC temps!

Mallorca is the home to fresh fig plants, almonds, carob, dates, nectarines (these were so juicy!!) and a range of other fruits and vegetables. I recognised the tree in our front garden and soon identified it as a carob tree. After googling whether it was safe to eat raw I picked some, boiled it (as per google’s instructions) and as we had no food processor to grind the pods into a powder we ate the pods whole. They were sooo tasty – not quite what I had expected either! Being a mad lover of nuts and dried fruit I just had to try some fresh figs – I walked for 20 minutes to a Fresh Fig Market and back to spend 43 cents on some fresh figs! We also discovered that in the back garden we had an almond tree…I wasn’t actually aware that these grew in Europe.

Activities

Cyclists and triathletes are drawn to Mallorca as it is the location of the routes and large sporting events that take place their every year. Although we didn’t take part in heaps of activities, it was lovely to relax a bit as we all live very full-on lives back home.

Having said this, one of the best adventures we had was a morning organised by Skualo where we paddle boarded off the coast and snorkeled, cliff jumped, coasteered and got the chance to swim deep into caves as dark as a black hole. Swimming through a dark cave was quite an experience…you had no idea how deep the water was, for all we knew the next step could take you to a 10ft drop! At first I thought balance would play havoc and getting the jist of the paddle board would be difficult, however, we all adapted to the waves and (most of the time) remained on our feet. It was a lot easier to paddle when you refrained from looking down!! We spent about 2 hours paddle boarding with a few breaks to do the other activities. The caves were incredible but rather scary at the same time.

​On the final day our plane was due to depart late in the evening which meant we had 12 hours to kill before driving to the airport. This gave us the chance to visit the Caves of Campanet! I have to admit I didn’t really know what to expect, and I certainly thought they’d be far smaller than they were! There were some amazing stalactites and stalagmites, the caves were so deep and felt endless – I was genuinely worried about getting lost!!

A few questions that have been asked about the trip:
​​Where would you recommend for gluten free food?
-Bistro 1909 Restaurant, Old Town Alcudia
-MOMA Restaurant, Port D’Alcudia
-Monarc Airlines (multiple g/f meal choices)
-Having said this, most places served gf dishes…!!

How did you manage to workout in the heat?
As mentioned earlier I went on 3 morning runs (around 8am-ish) before it was too hot, at this hour it was around 26oC. We did quite a bit of walking around, to and from the beach, but I used the week away to relax and give my body a much needed rest.

My tips for working out in the heat:
– invest in a top-less cap – it really keeps the sun off your face which keeps you a little cooler.
– workout in the morning…it gets too hot otherwise!!
– make use of what you can – use water bottles as weights, enjoy the scenery running alongside the coast at a relaxed pace.
– wear light clothing (eg. not black) as you’ll reflect the sun as opposed to absorb it!
– keep hydrated throughout the day to ensure you don’t become dehydrated!

I'm Beth, a Runner, Coeliac and Freelance Blogger. If I'm not out pounding the pavements in neon lycra I'm either eating peanut butter out of the jar in my PJs or wishing I could be doing one (or both) of the two. 🥑